Method for treating films for motion-picture machines.



N. POWER. METHOD FOR TREATING FILMS FOR MOTION PICTURE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1912' W Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

NICHOLAS IO'WER, OF BROOKLYN, REVV YORK.

METHOD FOR TREATI NG FILMS FOR MOTION-PICTURE MACHINES.

Specificatlon of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914..

Application filed November :20, 1912. Serial No. 732,429.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known thatl, NICHOLAS Powmz, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, (Whose post-ofiicc address-is No. 388 Jefferson avenue) have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods for. Treating Films for lvlotion-Picture Ms.- chines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the method and apparatus for heattreating films for mo tion picture projecting machines, and has for its object to provide a. method of treating such films which Will prevent the films sticking to the guide members of the machine adjacent the projection aperture, or other portions of the machine, during the projection of the picture-and thereby damaging the film as Well as interfering with the exhibition.

A further object of ,my invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying the above mentioned method lnto effect, which apparatus is of a simple and inexpensive construction, not liable to get out of order, and

tween two pairs of guides which engagethe margins of the film, the guides of each pair being pressed together by a suitable spring construction to exert a suflicient pressure on the film to hold it stationary in proper position relative to the projection aperture in the intervals between the intermittent movement of the feed stroke. The metal forming the guides is right in line with the rays of light from the arc lampor calcium light of the projecting lantern and soon becomes heated to a temperature considerably above the rest of the machine. It has been found in practice that these hot guides bearing upon the margin of the film tend to melt certain fusible matter on the film, particularly the cement between the joined ends of the different portions of the film comprising the entire reel. The ce ment and other matter melted oil the film collects on the guides to such an extent that it frequently causes the film to adhere to the guides during the moment that it is statim'mry so that on the next intermittent movement of the feed sprockets the teeth of tie sproclc is not infrequently tear off portions of ti margins of the film, in some instances tez ing the ll completely in two. I have found that this defect can be obviated. by tirating the films in the manner hereinafter d ribcd and with the aid of the apparatus own in the accompanying drawings and forming pnrt of my in- 663M011.

In the said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved apparatus; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the median line thereof; ig. 3 is an. end view looking from the left oi Fig. l. with the end plug removed, and Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line %4 of Fig. i.

In describing my invention I will first describe my improved apparatus and then describe the manner in which it"is manipulated in carrying my improved method into etl'ect.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 designatcs a tubular housing provided with legs 2, by which it may be supported on a suitable table or attached to a Wall or other surface as may be convenient Formed in tegral with the upper surface of the bolls ing are two guides 3 having their outer edges spaced apart a distance equal to the Width of the 1 lm to be treated, and themselves of a width equal to the aforementioncd guides of anordinary motion picture projecting machine.

7 The portion of the housing connecting the guides 3 is depressed an appreciable distance below the surface of the guides 3, and is preferably covered with asbestos or some other heat insulating material, as shown in Fig. 4 to protect the portion of the film carrying thepicture from the action of the heat radiating from the housing 1, as will he presently described. Cooperating with the guides 3 is a shoe 4! comprising an intermediate web 5 preferably covered with asbestos, and guides 6 on each side of the intermediate Web corresponding with the guides 3 adapted to engage the margins of the film opposite the guides 3 said shoe be ing provided .With a handle 19 on its upper surface. Beyond the guide 6 the shoe {l is provided with suitable flanges 7 which engage the outer vertical faces of the guides 3 to hold the shoe in place.

The flanges 7 are notched in the middle as shown at 8 in Fig. 1 to engage pins 9 projecting from. the sides of the guides 3. Pins 10 project from the sides of theflanges 7 adjacent one end, and these pins are engaged by suitable springs 11 attached to ears llprojecting from the housing 1. The notches S are considerably wider than the diameter of the pins 9 and the springs 11 act to hold the edges of the notches in en gagement with the pins. At each end of the housing 1 suitable guide rollers 13, 14-, are mounted in pairs with their engaging surfaces in line with the meeting faces of the guides 3 and (S, the rollers 13, 14 being supported at one end only on suitable brackets 15 attached to the housing 1 so that the films may he slipped between the rollers from the side.

The housing 1 is substantially cylindrical at each end and fitting one end of the same is a socket plug 16 for an incandescent electric globe 17 for heating the housing, the opposite end of the housing being closed by a suitable plug 18 to prevent the escape of the air heated by the globe 17 so that the heat of the lamps can only be diffused by radiation through the walls of the housing.

In operation the device is assembled in the manner described. and the film to be treated is'threaded through the feed rollers 13, ll and between the guides 3 and ii, the shoe l being liiitcd oil by its handle 19 to facilitate placing the him in position. The light is now turned on and after the housing has become suili ently heated the liim is fed toward the left in the direction of the arrow shown in big. 1 by a suitable feed mechanisn'i, not shown, for instance, the rewinding device commonly employed in moving picture mechanism to rewind the film after it has been exhibited in the machine.

The size of the lamp 17 is so proportioned relative to the radiating surface of the housing 1 that the guides 3 and 6 become heated to a degree well. above that to which the corresponding guides in the projecting machine become heated under any condition of actual use.

The heatediguides have the same effect upon the lilm as that of the guides of the projecting machine described above, melt ing out portions of the cement between the spliced ends of the film sections, and also portions of the emulsion or other foreign matter which may be on the margins of the film. The film is placed in the apparatus with the emulsion side up hence the matter so melted off the film causes it to adhere to the shoe l, but as soon as it does so the shoe will more in the directioi'i of the feed of the film against the tension of the springs 11 until the pin 5) engages the opposite end of the notch 8, when the movement of. the shoe will be stopped and the continued move ineut ot. the film will release it therefrom. As the ihn fed continuously through the device and not intermittentl its adherence to the shoe l is not sullicient to cause injury to the lilm, but is merely enough to cause inmement of the shoe 4 against the tension of its spring. immediately the film is rehrased the springs 11 throw the shoe back to its po. 'tion shown in the drawing, but the acciunnl on on the shoe will cause it to inmiediately adhere again to the film and more again to the left as described. As the lihn fed with considerable rapidity this repeated reciprocation of the shoe 4 and engagement of the ends of the notches 8 with the pin 9 produces a chattering noise which will call the attention of the operator who then stops the movement of the film feeding device, lifts the shoe off the machine and cleans the accumulation from the guides For this purpose a cleaning pad of the exact width of the guides may be conveniently used the same being attached the operator can run the shoe 4 over the face of the pad to wipe the accumulation therefrom After the shoe el is cleaned it can be pla ed back on the housing and. the device opeiated us before.

I have found that when a film is treated 4 in the manner described it may be used repeatedly in the projection machine without any more of the cement or emulsion being melted therefrom for the reason that the guides and 6 are heated well above the temperature of the corresponding parts of the machine and consequently melt off all matter which is fusible at any lower temperature. This can be safely done as the laces of the housing 1 and the shoe l 0pposite the picture portion of the film are entirely covered by asbestos.

It will of course be understood that in place of an incandescent light I may use other suitable means for heating the housing 1. It would be obvious also that in place of depending upon the chattering of the shoe l to call the attention of the operator to the accumulation of cement on the shoe, 1 may arrange any other suitable signal device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is V 1. Ti e method of treating lilm's which consists in subjecting their marginal portions to heat sutlicicnt to melt from the 'to the table adjacent the housing so that film all matter fusible at a temperature to which the .film is subjected in a projection machine.

2. The method of treating films. which consists in subjecting their marginal portions to a temperature greater than that to which they are subjected in the projection machine.

3. The method of treating films which consists in subjecting their mar 'inal portions to a heat and pressure sullicient to melt from the film all matter fusible at a temperature to which the film is subjected in a projection machine.

4. The method of treating films which consists in providing heated guides for en gaging the margins of films with a pre determined pressure and feeding the film continuously therethrough.

5. The method of treating picture lihn strips having pictures of less width than the nlm, which consists in subjecting their marginal portions to a heat sull'iciellt to melt from such portions all matter fusible at a temperature to which a film is subjected in a projection machine while maintaining the picture bearing portion of the strip at a lo er temperature.

(3. The method of treating films of the iglizlltlttcl' tles ,:i-ibed which consists in subjecting their marginal portions to direct engagement with a pressing member heated to a temperature sullicient to melt from the marginal portions of the film all matter fusible at a temperature to which the film is subjected in a projection machine while maintaining the picture bearing portion of the film out of engagement with such memher.

l1; witness whereof I have hereunto set my halul at the city. count and State of New York. this 18th day of Nmember. 1912.

NHHOLAS POW'ER.

Witnesses \l'. B. Mon'rox. L. E. Jouxs'rox. 

